European M.B.A. Programs Are Recruiting Americans

Philadelphia (CBS) – Elizabeth Garrett, 27, is part of a small but growing number of Americans who are enrolled in a program abroad which was born in the United States–the Masters of Business Administration, the M.B.A.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, European M.B.A programs are making headway in recruiting foreign students. They emphasize multiculturalism and can be completed in one year as opposed to a typical two year American program, saving students tuition.

Ten years ago most of the students at well known HEC Paris were French. Currently there are only 20%. The stagnant job market in the US is helping to send people abroad. Although most European M.B.A. programs require students to speak more than one language, that doesn’t seem to be a deterrent and European programs are mostly in English.

Some American programs are preparing students for a global economy as well. Dartmouth’s Tuck School and Penn’s Wharton offer exchanges with foreign countries. But with international students making up only a third of some of the American programs, students like Garrett still think they’re too provincial.